Kala Ghoda Association with the collaboration of the ‘Times of India’ presented the Kala Ghoda festival that presented a wide spectrum of performing and visual arts in the city and attracted the attention of artists from various parts of India and abroad too.
The Kala Ghoda dance festival featured not only classical dances but also folk and contemporary dance styles, that included the flamboyant Spanish Flamenco. It was held at Cross Maidan, opposite Churchgate station.
Some of the topmost classical dancers who performed at the festival were Chennai-based Alarmel Valli, Lata Surendra, Margi Vijaykumar and the youngest performer of the festival Pavitra Bhat.
‘Ode to Dance’ featured the traditional Bharatanatyam perfomed by Guru Lata Surendra and her students and the contemporary dance performed by the students of Sumit Nagdev of Expressions dance company, forming a combination and synthesis of two different mediums of dance was not an easy task for the choreographers Lata Surendra and Sumit, nevertheless, it was well presented with fine synchronisation between the dancers and the music. The piece-de-resistance of the evening was the exposition ‘Shivohom’ incorporating the magnificence and glory of Lord Shiva in all splendour, performed brilliantly by Lata Surendra and her talented team.
One of the most lively dancers of the festival was the accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer Pavitra Bhat, an ardent disciple of Guru Deepak Mazumdar. Pavitra commenced the performance with a beautiful composition on Lord Ganapati, it was indeed a rare spectacle to witness Pavitra dancing in the centre and the dancers dancing in four different directions, creating a fine visual impact on the audience.
The Mahatripura Sundari Varnam in Shivaranjini incorporated the goddess as Mahakali, Parameshwari and Madurai Meenakshi in a dramatic format portraying the virile and benovolent aspect of the goddess with commendable vocal support by Sreekant. It was a great pleasure to watch all the dancers dancing with lot of passion and enthusiasm.
The programme concluded with the Kalinga Nartana Thillana in which the tussle of Krishna with the serpent Kalinga is portrayed and concluding with fine rhythmic patterns. This number was sung extremely well by the noted Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sayeeram. On the whole it was a great and unique festival of the arts, kudos to the Kala Ghoda Association.